The BRIT Awards will be moving away from London for the first time in the ceremony’s 46-year history.

MailOnline revealed the annual showpiece, regarded as the biggest night in British music, will now be held in Manchester hosted at Co-op Live next year and in 2027.

After nearly five decades in London, the ceremony will be marking a bold new chapter taking place on Saturday, February 28th, and will broadcast exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. 

The change will be officially framed around the desire to reach new audiences in other regions, while also banishing its ‘London-centric’ reputation.   

The 2026 event will be the first of three years under the stewardship of Sony Music UK, who spearheaded the move to Manchester. 

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The BRIT Awards will be moving away from London for the first time in the ceremony’s 46-year history; picture 2025 headline act Sabrina Carpenter 

After nearly five decades in London, the ceremony will be marking a bold new chapter taking place on Saturday, February 28th, and will broadcast exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player; pictured host Jack Whitehall

Jason Iley MBE, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music UK & Ireland said: ‘This is a very exciting time for The BRIT Awards. Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music. 

‘Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards. I can’t wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the art Co-op Live venue.’

Meanwhile Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said: ‘For The BRIT Awards to move out of London is a mᴀssive coup for Greater Manchester. After 48 years, it is great that this prestigious global event is about to arrive in the UK capital of music and culture.

‘Greater Manchester has an unparalleled music heritage known around the world, and this summer will play host to some of the biggest gigs on the planet. That was only made possible by our strong commitment to new talent and giving emerging artists the opportunities to make their name.

‘We thank our friends at the BPI for choosing Manchester and we will pull out all the stops to show they made the right decision. Celebrating the BRIT Awards right here in the home of 24 hour party people is the next chapter in its story and you can be sure that we will help them do it in style.’  

However music insiders have told MailOnline ‘cost-cutting’ is also a major factor for the move, as ‘everything is more expensive in the capital.’

The BRITs, which has provided iconic moments in music history including Spice Girl Geri Horner’s Union Jack dress and Madonna’s infamous 2015 stage fall, has been held at London’s O2 Arena since 2011. 

Past venues include Earl’s Court, the London Arena, Alexandra Palace, Hammersmith Apollo, the Dominion Theatre, the Royal Albert Hall, the Grosvenor H๏τel and its original location, Wembley Conference Centre.

MailOnline revealed the annual showpiece, regarded as the biggest night in British music, will now be held in Manchester hosted at Co-op Live next year and in 2027

The change will be officially framed around the desire to reach new audiences in other regions, while also banishing its ‘London-centric’ reputation; pictured Stormzy 

However music insiders have told MailOnline ‘cost-cutting’ is also a major factor for the move, as ‘everything is more expensive in the capital’; pictured Jade Thirlwall

Read MoreEXCLUSIVE Behind the scenes of Sabrina Carpenter’s raunchy Brits performance

But the move away from the capital signals another new era in the ceremony’s history, arguably the most seismic.

A source told MailOnline: ‘It’s officially the end of an era. The BRIT Awards has been hosted in London since the ceremony first took place in 1977 and now for the first time ever, it will be held outside of the capital.

‘Obviously, it’s going to come as sad news to artists and talent who are London-based but there’s a feeling within the music industry that these shows don’t always need to be held at the same venues, year after year.

‘The BRITs is the biggest night in the British music calendar and now it will be shared with a new audience, as fans from Manchester and the surrounding areas are more likely to attend.

‘In recent years, there has been a general appeтιтe for the ceremony to move, as with the The Mercury Prize and The MOBO Awards and now for the first time the music scene won’t be as London-centric, both for the nominees and fans.’

According to insiders, bosses hope relocating the awards outside of London may free up more cash to spend on A-list artists to play at the ceremony.

However, there are concerns many London-based acts and record company execs may turn their noses up, due to many of the big labels being based down south.

An insider said: ‘It’s very gutting for artists who are in London, travelling to Manchester will triple the costs for people having to pay for travel and accommodation, which will no doubt go up in price.

‘There’s also the fear that record labels such as Sony Music, Warner, and Universal will be less inclined to host glamorous afterparties for the nominees and winners, and that the ceremony as a whole could potentially be poorly attended.

‘It’s not what anyone wants to hear and from many people’s perspective it’s purely to cut costs when London is the rightful home of the BRITs.’

The BRIT Awards is not only famous for its superstar performers, glamorous guests and famous hosts, it’s also provided outrageous moments watched by millions at home.

A number of iconic moments have taken place at the BRIT Awards including the Spice Girls, the recipients of five gongs, made history at the ceremony with their 1997 performance at London’s Earl’s Court

Adele, the owner of 12 BRIT Awards, gave the middle finger to host James Corden after he cut her off mid-speech to end the show back in 2012 

In 2015, Madonna fell off stage during her performance of Living for Love after she tripped on her Armani cape, creating a viral sensation

Madonna’s stage fall, in which the iconic singer was accidentally pulled down some stairs by a backing dancer grabbing onto her cloak, is just one of many unpredictable incidents which became synonymous with the BRITs.

Chumbawabe pouring a bucket of ice water over then deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the 1998 was a stand out moment, as was DJ Brandon Block confronting Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood on stage in 2000, who promptly threw a drink over him and summoned football hard man Vinnie Jones over to confront the intruder.

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker ‘mooning’ Michael Jackson’s performance of Earth song in 1996 sparked huge controversy, as did Adele giving the middle finger after host James Corden cut her off mid-speech to end the show back in 2012.

Notable presenters, aside from Corden, down the years have included Jack Whitehall, Chris Evans, Ben Elton, Kylie Minogue and Peter Kay, who famously branded Liam Gallagher a ‘knobhead’ for throwing his award into the crowd.

But the most notorious were arguably the worst, the iconic 1989 pairing of Page 3 legend Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood whose stint as hosts was marred with technical issues so bad the show was televised twice, the second time with the shambolic errors edited out.

The BRITs in 2026 and 2027 will continue to raise funds to support education and well-being for young people through The BRIT Trust, which supports the BRIT School in south London and nationwide music therapy charity Nordoff & Robbins, among other organisations adjacent to the music industry.

Mastercard will continue their long-standing headline sponsorship – which is now in its 28th year, and ITV will continue to be The BRITs’ official broadcaster.